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  • Author or Editor: M. L. Lacy x
  • Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science x
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Abstract

Harvesting a young planting of asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) for 4 or 6 weeks the second year after transplanting 1-year-old crowns, followed by harvesting for 8 or 10 weeks the third year, reduced yields significantly the fourth year. Carbohydrate levels in asparagus storage roots decreased during harvest and continued to decrease after harvest during fern production. Carbohydrate levels increased in storage roots after stalks had matured, and were restored to preharvest levels by mid- to late summer. All treatments possessed comparable levels of storage carbohydrates by the end of the season. Asparagus storage carbohydrates were identified as fructose-oligosaccharides, which varied considerably in size, mobility, and percent fructose and glucose. The largest oligosaccharides were composed of ∼ 90% fructose, ∼ 10% glucose; molecular weights did not exceed 4,000.

Open Access

Abstract

‘Miragreen’ garden pea seeds from individual seed lots were sorted into bleached, partially-bleached, and non-bleached categories. Seeds were either soaked for 48 hours in aerated water at 22°C, coated with thiram fungicide, or received no treatment. Seeds were planted in Conover loam soil where damping-off and seedling rot were primarily caused by Pythium ultimum Trow and Fusarium solani (Mort.) Sacc f. sp. pisi (Jones) Snyd. & Hans. No differences in germination in vitro were found among bleached, partially bleached, and non-bleached seeds. However, seedling emergence in the field was greater from untreated non-bleached seeds (69%) than from untreated bleached seeds (30%); emergence from partially bleached seeds (58%) was intermediate. Regardless of degree of bleaching, all seedlings were a normal green color after emergence, and appeared equal in vigor. Pea yields from untreated bleached seeds were less than from untreated non-bleached seeds, apparently because pea-emergence damping off was so much greater with bleached than with non-bleached seeds. No yield differences occurred with fungicide-treated seeds. Soaking partially bleached seeds for 48 hours in aerated water at 22°C prior to planting in April was as effective in improving emergence in artificially infested soil as coating seeds with thiram. However, when seeds were planted in mid-June, the thiram treatment gave higher seedling emergence than the soaking treatment. In general, high yields were achieved by early planting of seeds and minimum root rot.

Open Access